I have been delighted, and somewhat surprised, at the continued widespread use of this text, in spite of the fact that much has changed in associated fields since the previous edition was published around 20 years ago. Perhaps the major change in plant biology over this period has been the explosion of research on the molecular and genetic basis of plant responses to the environment, though there have been important advances in other relevant fields such as in remote sensing. Although I have not attempted to cover molecular aspects in any detail, as there are many suitable alternative texts, I have tried to relate recent advances in molecular sciences to our understanding of whole-plant responses to the environment. In this context I have aimed especially to indicate the ways in which the powerful new molecular tools and other ‘omics’ technologies can contribute to advancing our understanding of the biophysical interactions between plants and the atmosphere. As in the previous editions, however, I have continued the approach of describing only briefly the biochemical and molecular mechanisms involved in plant responses to the environment, so interested readers are referred to specialist reviews and books mentioned at appropriate places in the text.

For this third edition I have chosen largely to retain the general structure and aims of the successful previous editions.